Arrangements Being Made To Receive Daily Messages From Byrd in Little America Camp

NO WRITER ATTRIBUTED
November 2, 1933

Arrangements are now being made for receiving daily messages from Rear Admiral Byrd at the receiving station in the Geography Building, to keep the department informed about progress in the scientific work at Little America, it was learned yesterday from Thomas S. McCaleb, instructor in Geographical Exploration.

At the laboratory in the building a transmitter will be set up as an experiment, which will give tone signals for ten minutes every hour. Ordinarily this apparatus is used for short distances only, but it is hoped that the sound may be deflected by certain strata in the high atmosphere and thus by following a series of taugents to the globe, reach the south polar region. If the expedition succeeds in picking up these signals it is possible that direct communication by voice may be established for a short period each day. For the present, aerial broadcasts will be sent to Buenos and relayed to New York.

Mr. McCaleb has been in charge of all the communication plans for the expedition. He has personally supervised the preparation of the apparatus which is the most elaborate and modern available, and has chosen the personnel for this branch of the expedition.

All mobile units, included in Admiral Byrd's apparatus, such as the dog sledges will be supplied with communication facilities to receive messages from the base in Little America by radio telephone and to reply by code. Observation stations isolated 30 miles out on the ice plateau, supply ships and three of the airplanes will also be connected with the base camp at all times by telephone. Every part of the encampment will be supplied with radio direction finders as well.

Members of the expedition whom McCaleb selected were John N. Dyer of M.I.T. now in charge of field communications. Clay Bailey, United States Navy, Gay C. Rutehison. Texas A and M and Stanley D Pierce '33, an engineering student.